1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a holders, supports, and steadying devices, and particularly to a fishing rod holder.
2. Background of the Invention
It is well known in the art to use devices mounted to the side of a boat or a dock or staked into the ground to support and hold a fishing rod at a desired angle for the lengthy periods of time that the fisher must wait for a fish to bite. In order to be effective, these devices must hold the fishing rod with sufficient force so as to retain the rod given normal motion, such as the rocking or bouncing of a boat in the water, and yet the device must be able to release the rod quickly enough so that the fisher may take control of the rod in order to battle the fish.
Fishing rod holding devices take many forms. Among the simplest of these are metal or plastic tubes into which the handle of the rod is inserted. These tube holders are not well-suited to accepting all types of fishing rods, such as rods with pistol handles or other unconventional handles. Also, the rod may simply fall out of the holder given the normal motion of the boat or in response to the initial bite of the fish.
Many fishing rod holders currently commercially available attempt to address the shortcomings of the simple tube holder. These more complex holders include such attributes as locking in the rod and using sophisticated mounting systems that pivot and tilt to reduce the need for extracting the rod. However, no currently available system provides fast and easy intentional extraction while inhibiting the accidental release of the fishing rod.
A particularly common type of accidental release of the fishing rod occurs when the tip of the rod is forcefully flexed, such as when a fish violently frees itself or suddenly jumps out of the water. This extraction can cause damage to or even the loss of very expensive fishing gear.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a fishing rod holder which provides fast intentional extraction of the rod yet which reduces the incidence of unintentional release of the rod, particularly when the tip of the rod is violently flexed.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a fishing rod holder that is adaptable to a large number of fishing rods.
The present invention accomplishes these and other objects by providing a fishing rod holder made of a simple tubular element, with a continuous opening through the upper portion of the tube along the long axis of the tube. The shape of the opening is such that the remaining material at either end of the tube form pieces that hold the fishing rod blank in place, even given the violent flexing of the tip of the blank. This tube may be mounted to a surface in a variety of ways, such as direct attachment with screws or glue, or the use of any number of commercially available mounting devices. The fishing rod holder may also be integrally molded with the shell of the boat.